Definitions for scattergun
scat·ter·gun

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. shotgun, scattergunnoun

   firearm that is a double-barreled smoothbore shoulder weapon for firing shot at short ranges

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. scattergunnoun

   A shotgun.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. scattergun

   A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small pellet-like spherical sub-projectiles called shot, or sometimes a single solid projectile called a slug. Shotguns are most commonly smoothbore firearms, meaning that their gun barrels have no rifling on the inner wall, but rifled barrels for shooting slugs (slug barrels) are also available. Shotguns come in a wide variety of calibers and gauges ranging from 5.5 mm (.22 inch) to up to 5 cm (2.0 in), though the 12-gauge (18.53 mm or 0.729 in) and 20-gauge (15.63 mm or 0.615 in) bores are by far the most common. Almost all are breechloading, and can be single-barreled, double-barreled, or in the form of a combination gun. Like rifles, shotguns also come in a range of different action types, both single-shot and repeating. For non-repeating designs, over-and-under and side-by-side break action shotguns are by far the most common variants. Although revolving shotguns do exist, most modern repeating shotguns are either pump-action or semi-automatic, and also fully automatic, lever-action or bolt-action to a lesser extent. Preceding smoothbore firearms (such as the musket) were widely used by armies in the 18th century. The muzzleloading blunderbuss, the direct ancestor of the shotgun, was also used in similar roles from self-defense to riot control. Shotguns were often favored by cavalry troops in the early to mid-19th century because of its ease of use and generally good effectiveness on the move, as well as by coachmen for its substantial power. But by the late 19th century, these weapons became largely replaced on the battlefield by breechloading rifled firearms shooting spin-stabilized cylindro-conoidal bullets, which were far more accurate with longer effective ranges. The military value of shotguns was rediscovered in the First World War, when American forces used the pump-action Winchester Model 1897s in trench fighting to great effect. Since then, shotguns have been used in a variety of close-quarter roles in civilian, law enforcement and military applications. The smoothbore shotgun barrel generates less resistance and thus allows greater propellant loads for heavier projectiles without as much risk of overpressure or a squib load, and are also easier to clean. The shot pellets from a shotshell are propelled indirectly through a wadding inside the shell and scatter upon leaving the barrel, which is usually choked at the muzzle end to control the projectile scatter. This means each shotgun discharge will produce a cluster of impact points instead of a single point of impact like other firearms. Having multiple projectiles also means the muzzle energy is divided among the pellets, leaving each individual projectile with less penetrative kinetic energy. The lack of spin stabilization and the generally suboptimal aerodynamic shape of the shot pellets also make them less accurate and decelerate quite quickly in flight due to drag, giving shotguns short effective ranges. In a hunting context, this makes shotguns useful primarily for hunting fast-flying birds and other agile small/medium-sized game without risking overpenetration and stray shots to distant bystander and objects. However, in a military or law enforcement context, the high short-range blunt knockback force and large number of projectiles makes the shotgun useful as a door breaching tool, a crowd control or close-quarters defensive weapon. Militants or insurgents may use shotguns in asymmetric engagements, as shotguns are commonly owned civilian weapons in many countries. Shotguns are also used for target-shooting sports such as skeet, trap and sporting clays, which involve flying clay disks, known as "clay pigeons", thrown in various ways by a dedicated launching device called a "trap".

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. scattergun

   A scattergun is a type of firearm, typically a shotgun, designed to disperse shots widely. The term is also used metaphorically to refer to an approach that is broad and random rather than focused and specific.

Matched Categories

1. • Firearm

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

1. [["1884","2"],["1889","1"],["1893","3"],["1899","1"],["1900","2"],["1904","1"],["1905","2"],["1910","2"],["1911","1"],["1913","2"],["1914","2"],["1915","2"],["1916","13"],["1917","2"],["1922","1"],["1923","1"],["1925","3"],["1926","2"],["1927","2"],["1928","1"],["1929","2"],["1930","1"],["1931","2"],["1932","2"],["1933","1"],["1934","1"],["1936","5"],["1938","3"],["1939","1"],["1940","4"],["1941","1"],["1942","4"],["1943","9"],["1944","2"],["1946","10"],["1947","4"],["1948","9"],["1949","19"],["1950","3"],["1951","5"],["1952","8"],["1953","13"],["1954","15"],["1955","2"],["1956","6"],["1957","9"],["1958","3"],["1959","14"],["1960","8"],["1961","16"],["1962","22"],["1963","18"],["1964","11"],["1965","30"],["1966","13"],["1967","22"],["1968","29"],["1969","27"],["1970","34"],["1971","37"],["1972","22"],["1973","34"],["1974","52"],["1975","37"],["1976","70"],["1977","67"],["1978","81"],["1979","70"],["1980","56"],["1981","64"],["1982","59"],["1983","123"],["1984","123"],["1985","95"],["1986","108"],["1987","122"],["1988","123"],["1989","195"],["1990","172"],["1991","220"],["1992","201"],["1993","246"],["1994","202"],["1995","211"],["1996","195"],["1997","203"],["1998","205"],["1999","207"],["2000","317"],["2001","291"],["2002","440"],["2003","372"],["2004","322"],["2005","371"],["2006","374"],["2007","398"],["2008","409"]]

How to pronounce scattergun?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say scattergun in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of scattergun in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of scattergun in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=scattergun
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Scattergun
3. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scattergun
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=scattergun